The Girl Foster Home in my heart

The Girl’s Friendship Home. Just over a year ago HSCV founded a home for girls living in heartbreakingly difficult situations. Girls living in the home have been rescued from abuse, have been orphaned or were living in abject poverty with no stable family support. Girls between 5 and 18 qualify and currently 13 girls are living in the home. 

The Foster Home provides a safe and nurturing environment. We have two full-time house mothers that care for the 24 hour needs of the girl. We also have a very talented social worker that works with the girls on an individual basis. The girls attend public school, eat nutritional meals, receive excellent medical care, receive professional tutoring and lots of love and attention.

We will be posting weekly updates about The Girls Foster Home. This will provide a window for you to get to know these amazing girls and to follow their journey.

The girls are not available for individual sponsorship, however the funding needs are great. The monthly breakdown of expenses: Rent $700, Staff Salaries: $650, Utilities: $70, Food: $1,200, School fees and transportation: $600, Medical and Dental: $120, Miscellaneous: $160.

Without the Girls Foster Home, the future for these children would be uncertain. Many girls end up on the street selling post cards to tourists, begging, collecting garbage to sell for recycling, or even selling themselves. This is a crisis we cannot ignore, and our efforts to help these girls now will not only insure their future, but the future of their family. This is The Girl Effect in action.

 

Here is a lovely testimony from one of our fantastic volunteers at the Girl's Foster Home.

About one year ago, a friend connected me to HCSV. At the time, my friend (who is a doctor) had asked me to come and check out what the girls were eating because I am a Registered Dietitian and a few of the girls were growing very rapidly after coming to the house. This is not usually a problem for children, until they reach the potential for becoming overweight/obese and the potential health problems that can come from it. 

                                

The first time I went to the house, the girls seemed most in need of friends and fun things to do at home on the weekends. My husband and I have two girls and have a special place in our hearts for girls with no families or who have been poorly cared for. We started visiting on Saturday mornings and would try to bring fun things to do-- crafts, games, nail polish. Some days, we have taken girls to the park, the zoo, and the children's museum and have invited them to our house to swim and play a few times. 

We often talk to our children about compassion for other people and helping those in need. What better way could there be to spend our weekends than caring for and having fun with these sweet girls! We have lived in Hanoi for more than 5 years and I really believe that the house is saving these girls from potentially terrible outcomes. And more than just meeting basic needs, we have seen the girls grow and gain confidence over the past year, and we pray that we will see them continue to grow in the years to come.